


Smells Like Teen Spirit

by GoddessofRoyalty



Category: DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: (although they're still figuring that bit out), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Protective Team, Puberty, Team Dynamics, Team Fluff, Team as Family, Teen Angst, Teen Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-05 11:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofRoyalty/pseuds/GoddessofRoyalty
Summary: Robin goes into his first heat. In response Superboy breaks three walls and makes an attempt on Batman’s face, and M'gann tries to understand it all.





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> You know “it’s a reference to the song” is #5 on my list of reasons to use the title I did. Please ignore the clicheness of it… it fits for a lot of other reasons 
> 
> So my complete knowledge of DC can be summed up as 2 seasons of Young Justice, what I vaguely remember from watching the old cartoons (Teen Titans, Batman, Justice League, etc) as a child, and what I’ve picked up from fandom osmosis from people who were/are in the DC fandom and also a fandom I was in. Saying that while I was watching the first season of Young Justice I really wanted to play with the idea of Superboy going even more aggressive alpha male™ in response to Robin going into his first heat and well… this is the result. 
> 
> Also I tried to do a couple things I don’t normally do in fic so… forgive me if anything comes across clunky for it. 
> 
> So most of the language shifts in terms of the terms various characters use to refer to things are actually conscious on my part most of the time and are to do with how I know slang and language works in spoken vs formalised settings. 
> 
> Warnings: omegaverse, an 12 year old going into heat (although it’s not a true heat and clearly doesn’t behave like one), teenagers making sexual comments (I don’t think any obvious but there is some ones that have an undercurrent of it) 
> 
> Finally – when exactly is this set during the first season? I don’t know.

The mission had been a success.

Sure it hadn’t been perfect, but they had obtained what they had been sent to obtain and nobody had been injured past the usual scrapes and bruises that would heal in time.

Which is why M’gann didn’t fully understand why Robin got up half-way through the flight to go to share Wally’s seat, clearly radiating a need for comfort. The behaviour didn’t make sense even when considering Robin having potentially acquired an injury. He didn’t behave like that when injured. Yet Wally seemed to understand the need for the sudden shift in behaviour, moving over slightly to give Robin space on his chair and wrapping his arm loosely around his shoulder.

“Is he okay?” M’gann asked, finding herself fearing having missed some form of chemical attack.

“Robin?” Wally asked, despite M’gann thinking it fairly obvious who she was talking about. “Yeah. He’s just feeling a little uncomfortable, and probably a little embarrassed as well.”

“Why?” Robin had never really been one to be ashamed of his injuries. Unless he believed it a foolish error on his part that caused it.

“Because he is presenting yes?” Kaldur asked. M’gann remembered that ‘presenting’ was when a human finally showed the traits of their secondary gender – alpha, beta, or omega. To most it was considering a dramatic affair even if normally the official change only small – the additional hormones building up in one’s system enough to push them over into showing what they really were.

“Yeah, and this is like his second least wanted situation to be in when it happened,” Wally said.

“The pamphlets weren’t joking when they said the heat would come on fast,” Robin grumbled. “How much longer until we get back?”

“About ten minutes?” M’gann replied as Conner’s panic seemed to spike at the statement. “Will that be a problem or do I need to do something more?”

“No, ten minutes is fine,” Robin replied.

“Fine!?” Conner said, shooting up from his seat. “You’re going into heat and three of us are alphas.”

“Pseudo-heat,” Robin corrected immediately despite the fact he had referred to it by just ‘heat’ a minute before. “My first pseudo-heat. It shouldn’t be too strong.”

Omegas, M’gann remembered, had a complicated system of pseudo-heats or ‘false heats’ that gave their bodies the needed hormones to kick-start their pubescent development without the features more designed to attract a mate. The hormones they gave off were instead designed to make those around them be alerted to their future fertility and as such want to keep them safe, comfortable, and around until then.

“We’ll get you back to the cave and comfortable then contact Batman,” Kaldur said and Robin nodded.

“Did you know?” Artemis asked. “That you were an omega?”

“Yeah,” Robin replied. “Had the blood test. Still couldn’t go on suppressants until after my first heat.”

“You’ll get them soon then,” Wally said. “Just got to ride this wave out.”

“Not really looking forward to that part,” Robin replied.

The remaining part of their trip was silent. But arrival caused them all to be quickly caught up in a flurry of activity.

Wally and Artemis helped Robin to the spare room of the cave that had been unspokeningly claimed as his when they needed to stay overnight for missions. Although the two seemed more shadows trailing after him as he walked himself to the room. His pseudo-heat didn’t seem anywhere near as bad as those of the omegas on the earth shows M’gann watched. Even the teen dramas that included the first pseudo-heat seemed so much worse than Robin was currently. He acted more like it was one big inconvenience instead of the life-changing event the shows made it out to be.

Kaldur told Red Tornado what happened and about the need to contact Batman and then went to shower once Red Tornado confirmed he would do as requested. Kaldur acting like his task was over and it was fine for him to relax until the mission debrief eventually happened.

That left M’gann and Conner standing in the main room with no real idea what to do.

“Do you think he will be okay?” M’gann asked, despite knowing it likely a stupid question. She knew Conner wouldn’t judge her for it. The two of them sometimes feeling on the outside of perfect human understanding because of their backgrounds.

“Yes,” Conner said. “It’s normal, just…”

There was an underlying frustration and hint of betrayal in Conner’s mind that M’gann could only explain as how Robin hadn’t told them that he would present as omega despite already knowing. And M’gann didn’t fully understand the reason for it either. But Robin was more secretive about a lot of things than the others. He hadn’t wanted them to know his secret identity at first despite how openly the others revealed theirs. This was probably just another of those things for him.

Whatever it was that Conner was going to say was stopped by Wally and Artemis returning to the room.

“Batman’s been contacted?” Artemis asked.

“Yes, Red Tornado is doing that now,” M’gann said. “How is he?”

“Fine,” Wally said. “Little bit grumpy about not being able to do missions for a week but that’s what I’d expect from Robin.”

“He really should just rest for the week.” Pseudo-heats were a time of growth and hormonal changes for human omegas. It was better for the body if they were spent resting.

“You try telling that to the Boy Wonder,” Wally said. “He’ll find something to spend the week doing.”

“That’s not our problem though,” Artemis said, before curling her nose in distaste. “And I still stink so I’m going to hit the showers. Suggest you do as well.”

“You read my mind,” Wally joked and raced from the room faster than Artemis did but soon M’gann and Conner were alone again.

“Not our problem,” Conner muttered, clearly unhappy with what Artemis said.

“Conner?”

The only reply M’gann got was a huff and an annoyed, “I’m going to take a shower too,” before Conner stormed out in the opposite direction to Wally and Artemis.

Returning to their usual routine seemed to be how everyone was responding to what happened so M’gann went to her post-mission habits as well.

She wasn’t completely able to shake what had happened and M’gann found herself in the briefing room once finished. Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur already there. It appeared only Conner was able to not worry enough to want to make sure Batman arrived and was properly notified about what had happened.

“Do we know when Batman is going to arrive?” Artemis asked.

“No,” Kaldur said, “Red Tornado said Batman was busy and would come as soon as he finished with his task.”

“And we’re going to wait for him?” Artemis asked.

“We don’t have to,” Wally said. “Batman knows what’s happening and Robin can explain anything particular he needs to know on top of that.”

Despite that none of them moved until the Zeta-tube announced Batman’s arrival. Then they were all on their feet and too attention. All ready to start filling Batman in about what happened immediately.

“Where is he?” Batman asked, cutting through before any of them even had the chance to start speaking.

“His room,” Wally said, earning him a passing acknowledgement before Batman started a bee-line to the room.

M’gann knew now they really weren’t needed anymore. Their responsibility, if any, in the situation had been passed over to Batman. Passed over to the closest thing Robin had to a parent. They could return to their own habits.

All four of them trailed after Batman.

Batman seemed content to ignore them. If anything M’gann felt a hint of humour coming off him at their antics breaking through the tight-held mental walls he kept. An indulgent humour, understanding the reasons for their behaviour but finding it entertaining nonetheless. M’gann wished she could fully understand the reasons for their actions. Pseudo-heats are a normal part of a teenaged omegas life. There was no need for them all to be as anxious about it as they were.

Their anxiety only grew when they reached the door to discover Conner was not apparently able to just continue with his usual habits as they had believed but had sat down in front of the room Robin was in. Acting almost as a guard. He stood when they approached. Eyes firmly on Batman in what almost seemed to be a challenge.

“Dude,” Wally said, a weird mixture of fear and amazement in his voice. Amazement at what Conner was apparently brave enough to do. Fear as to how Batman would respond to it.

“Do you think he brought kryptonite with him?” Artemis asked, a strange mix of amusement and anxiety in her.

Both Wally and Kaldur took a step forward, apparently planning to physically drag Conner away before he said or did anything that might trigger Batman’s ire.

They’re concerns turned out to be for nothing. Conner and Batman considered each other for a couple of seconds, seeming almost to size each other up, then, whatever it was that had Conner there seemed to break and he stepped to the side. Batman disappeared into the room as Conner came to stand with them.

“You okay?” Wally asked, seeming generally concerned and M’gann wished she had spent a little more time learning how the different designations worked off each other to understand what was going on.

“Yeah,” Conner said, sounding almost angered that the question had been asked.

“Are you sure?” Artemis asked. “You looked like you were seriously considering taking on _Batman_.”

“I’m fine,” Conner said, more firm and angry. “What if we had been attacked before Batman arrived.”

“We would have been warned and ensured Robin was safe and evacuated,” Kaldur said, staying clam despite how clearly aggravated Conner was.

“I think, considering the circumstances, the League would quickly arrive should we have been attacked as well,” Artemis added.

“And we can trust them? Should we even be trusting Batman considering he’s an alpha as well?” Pseudo-heats and heats were technically distinctly separate things to an omegas body. But M’gann had been on earth long enough to realise that people would often conflate the two despite the only grey-area of telling them apart being the year they switched. Some alphas treated them both as cues for sex.

“Because he’s _Batman_. And it’s _Robin_ we’re talking about. He wouldn’t hurt him,” Wally said and it really did feel that simple.

“But how do we know that?” Conner asked, the frustration inside him clearly building.

“I think it might be a good idea for you to get some fresh air,” Kaldur said, keeping the same calm even voice of his as before.

“I said I’m fine,” Conner growled before storming off. M’gann hoped it would be outside. Maybe fresh air would help him, or at least getting some space might.

“Anyone else thinking his reaction a bit… over the top?” Artemis asked as they watched him storm off. “Robin can’t smelt hat strong yet can he?”

“No,” Kaldur said, a frown clear on his face. “It is noticeable but not to a level warranting such a response.”

“Yeah, I swear my old English teacher smelt more strongly just every day,” Wally said before adding with a grumble, “but that might have been because I just presented and suddenly _aware_ she was an omega.”

“So why is Conner so strongly affected?” Artemis asked. “Think it’s because of his supersenses?”

That would be one explanation but M’gann knew of no reports of Superman having any such problems and if anything his senses would be keener. There was no real reason why Conner should be so quickly, and strongly, affected by the, apparently rather weak, scent.

Unless-

“Hello Megan!”

“What!?”

“He hasn’t really known an omega before now. You two have.”

“Yeah well I don’t exactly remember being so angry about my teacher,” Wally said.

“But we were younger,” Kaldur explained, “Our own biology was less sensitive to an omega’s scents. Superboy is having a stronger reaction himself as well as it being new to him.”

“Plus she’s got those supersenses to make him even more aware of the pheromones Robin is giving out,” Artemis added.

“So what we’re saying is Superboy might be the one for us to worry about?” Wally asked and nobody seemed to have any rebuttal.


	2. Chapter 2

“I can’t believe he just left,” Conner said after they watched Batman leave the cave, “and left Robin with us.”

As far as any of the team could tell Batman had spent the night but as morning came the decision had been made for him to return to his usual duties and leave Robin to ride out the pseudo-heat there. A decision apparently made a great deal on Robin’s part and upon the belief that he was more potential use to the team there than for Batman. A decision M’gann herself wasn’t entirely sure was the right call but she trusted Batman enough to agree to it.

“It’ll be fine,” Wally said, “and if it’s what Robin wants I’m going to agree to it.”

“And how clear of a mind does he have currently to say what he wants?” Conner demanded and M’gann got the concern. Pseudo-heats, while not being as completely mind-altering as their true counterparts, did include at least a partial refocusing of the brain to what the omega’s instincts wanted over what the person wanted. At least that was what the webpages M’gann had been reading the night before said.

“He is relatively clear headed,” Kaldur said, “you can speak to him yourself if you want.”

“No!” Conner said, a hot mix of shame and fear going through him that seemed to boil over into anger. “Does that mean you’ve seen him since his heat started?”

“Yes,” Kaldur replied, refusing to bite at the bait in the words. “Both Wally and I have visited him. We wished to discuss how he wanted us to continue until the pseudo-heat broke.”

“He’s cool with us asking him for help with anything, just, knock first, you know,” Wally added. Not that any of them were known to just walk into each other’s room unannounced. M’gann supposed the pseudo-heat added an extra element to why not to.

Conner seemed to want to argue the point but Red Tornado entering the room stopped him. At least for the moment.

“I appears you have already gathered despite me not yet informing you of the existence of a new mission,” he said, assessing them all.

“Batman just left,” Artemis gave in explanation.

“That is unfortunate that he cannot give any wisdom to you before you set out then,” Red Tornado said before going into the mission briefing. It was a last-minute thing. The League gaining information of a base that needed to be quickly infiltrated and assessed just as most of their members had been called away to deal with something else. Thus it fell on Young Justice to infiltrate a potential base with very little information about the how or what exactly might be waiting for them.

“I feel like we’re really going to regret not having Robin with us,” Wally said once they were up in the air and with no way to back out.

His prediction ended up coming true. Sure, the mission started out looking as if it would be an easy success, but soon enough doors were closing in around them and the Terror Twins blocking their path.

“What do you want?” Wally asked as they all braced for a fight.

“A rematch,” Tommy replied, “on fairer terms than our last.”

“If it’s a fight you want I’ll give you a fight,” Conner said. The tension he had been carrying since they found out about Robin’s pseudo-heat seeming to turn into a productive battle readiness. “Been kind of looking forward to one since we were sent out.”

“Oh yeah?” Tuppence said, in a clear battle readiness of her own. “Don’t disappoint us then.”

“Oh I won’t,” Conner said before lunging.

It was difficult for the rest of the team to find an opening to join the fight themselves. Conner seemed so drawn into it that he was forgetting he had a team for support and instead appeared determined to take the twins out completely by himself.

“You seem awfully worked up today,” Tommy said as he blocked one of Conner’s punches and delivered one of his own. “Something got you hot under the collar. An omega perhaps waiting for you?”

“Robin isn’t here,” Tuppence said, as she moved in to attack Conner’s other side in aid of her brother. “He might be distracting us so Boy Wonder can sneak around unnoticed.”

“Maybe Boy Wonder is the distraction,” Tommy replied. “Might have presented since last time we saw him.” 

It’s moments after Conner lets out a snarl of rage at the comments that their coms give a wave of static and then Robin’s voice filled their ears. “What’s happening there? You haven’t moved in ages.”

“They’ve shut the doors on us and the Terror Twins are keeping us busy,” Artemis said, taking the fact Robin was apparently tracking them in her stride.

“Think you can open them for us?” Wally asked after distracting Tuppence for Conner to get a good punch in. The Terror sister landing with a force that hopefully indicated she wasn’t going to be getting up for a while yet.

“No sorry if I was there I could, but well-“ Robin couldn’t be there because he needed to rest through his pseud-heat. And that was before one considered the dangers of others if they picked up on his state – taking advantage of his decreased fighting capacity. Of course, apparently Robin’s ‘rest’ involved somehow keeping track of them while on a mission and contacting them when they weren’t behaving as expected. “Although, give me a second.”

They spent that second trying to give Conner some support in his attempted single-handed battle against the remaining Terror Twin.

“Thought so,” Robin said. “Think I have a way out for you.”

“What is it?” Kaldur asked.

“The warehouse is built right next to some of the old sewer system. The contractors were lazy and didn’t seal it all off properly.”

“Would explain the smell,” Wally said.

“I wouldn’t know,” Robin replied. “But I do know that the left wall to the room you’re in is built on the sewer. Break through that and you’re in the sewer itself and should be able to get out easily from there. I have the old maps in front of me so I can give you directions if you get lost.”

“Right. So just blow up the wall,” Artemis said, already pulling out an explosive arrow to do the job.

Before she even had a chance to string it there was a crash as the wall gave way under the force of Tommy Terror being thrown into it.

“It appears Superboy has found a way through the wall for us,” Wally said, before nodding to the unconscious forms of the Terror Twins. “And dealt with the people blocking our way.”

“We should leave before anyone else shows up to try and stop us,” Kaldur said and the team easily agreed.

Their trip through the sewers was easy if stinky. M’gann could feel how much the team wanted to take a shower barely a minute into their journey through them. Robin’s voice told them the way to go to reach the surface and head back to the bio ship.

“They could smell him on me,” Conner said once they were safely in the bio ship and flying back home. His voice a mixture of angry and gutted.

“Unlikely,” Wally replied. “You’ve barely spent any time with him since he presented. There’s no way for you to have picked up his scent and no way they could have picked it up off you with the scent of raw sewage in the air as well.”

“They were just goading you,” Kaldur added.

“If you’d stop acting like a territorial alpha they wouldn’t have noticed,” Artemis said.

“I’m not-“ Conner started to argue but the collective look he got from the rest of the team stopped him.

The rest of their trip home was spent in an almost tense silence caused by the irritation so clearly coming off Conner that even the rest of the team could pick it up without any empath abilities. He didn’t seem as one-edge as he had been and M’gann could only explain it by the prolonged distance from whatever pheromones Robin was giving off and fact he had burned through his own hormones in the fight. The websites did say exercise, especially the competitive battle-like exercise which fighting absolutely was, would help, even if it was considered an anti-social coping mechanism. The bad mood Conner was in currently one based on his frustration at the Terror Twins and the rest of the team and likely not something based on chemical triggers in his body. Probably.

When they returned to the cave it was clear that Robin was in the room he had taken to for the pseudo-heat. It was apparently also clear that he hadn’t stayed there the whole time they were gone.

“I’m going out,” Conner said, almost exactly three second after they had arrived into the control room and the brief flash of recognition went through all the team except M’gann’s minds.

“We still need to debrief!” Wally called after him.

“I’ll do it later,” Conner called back before disappearing around a corner.

“Any chance he has feelings for Robin?” Artemis asked once Conner would likely be out of earshot. The question was said to the whole group but M’gann knew it was mostly aimed at her. She was, of course, the most likely one to know if Conner did have feelings for Robin – being a telepath and his girlfriend.

“No.” M’gann knew her response was likely a little too fast and a little too forceful but she didn’t like the idea of it. Conner was her boyfriend and seemed to not mind the fact they lacked perfect compatibility because of their species. She hadn’t considered it was just because he didn’t know anyone who was an omega, and, as such, didn’t fully understand what he was missing out on in being with her. The fact that she was pretty sure that wasn’t the truth of the matter felt a bit like wilful denial when faced with just how clearly affected Conner was. And how proactive he had become over Robin. Almost territorial so as his near-confrontation with Batman the day before had proven.

Artemis gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m not saying it’s what’s happening. But it would explain why he’s being so dramatic about it.”

“I don’t buy it,” Wally said after a moment of consideration. “I’m pretty sure we’d know if he was carrying a flame before now.”

“It’s still a possibility,” Artemis replied, and M’gann felt like she would be spending another night reading about earth’s secondary-genders and how they interacted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh FYI I’m basically explaining “you feel like he’s pack” in the massive emotions monologue in this bit. Didn’t want to actually state that though because of the POV character and me not wanting to make this fic too much about pack-building/bonding but rather focused on Conner’s feelings about the pseudo-heat in isolation.

The day was going nice. M’gann could only really justify it in the fact that things seemed to have returned to their normality. Without any mission to complete the team went about their usual habits, the absence of Robin noticeable but not obviously so like on the mission the day before. Still, it was a topic most of them danced around and the mention of Robin’s name seemed to be a trigger to making Conner on-edge. The topic of the pseudo-heat was even more avoided whenever he was in earshot.

Conner had overall seemed to have calmed down though. If he wasn’t reminded about Robin or the fact Robin was currently in pseudo-heat he seemed to be his normal self. M’gann was glad. It hadn’t been pleasant to watch him so clearly affected in an almost negative way by the pheromones of it.

He even took a break from his training to try M’gann’s latest attempts at cookies. Something she was relieved about both because it was an indication of him returning to his normal personality as well as her preferences of having him try her culinary attempts before the others.

“They smell good,” Conner said as he sat next to her on the edge of the gym.

“Really?” The smell of food was normally a good indicator of the taste she had learned.

“Yeah, kind of-“ Conner paused, a scowl quickly coming over his face.

“What?”

“Never mind,” he snapped and it clicked into place. It wasn’t the cookies he was smelling, but Robin.

M’gann remembered what Artemis said the day before about Conner possibly having feelings for Robin and that being the reason why he was so affected by it. Remembered the blog entries she had read last night of teenaged alphas stressing over one omega in particular’s scent getting to them and how the advice generally given was that it was probably because of a crush that they felt that way. A person’s mind and emotions affected the way they reacted to pheromones.

“Do you have feelings for Robin?” She understood well enough that even if the answer was yes it didn’t mean they should necessarily break up. Knowing Wally had more than proved that a person could have affections for more than one person and yet still be able to have a relationship with one that was emotionally stable and healthy.

“No!” Conner said quickly, standing in his anger. “How can you ask that?”

“It was just a question.” M’gann really didn’t mean to cause any offence with it. Just her curiosity and want to understand humanity, and Conner, better.

“I can’t believe you even need to ask,” Conner said, making his way over to one of the punching bags in the room. “Why didn’t you already know that?”

“I didn’t want to pry.” In actuality she had found Conner’s mind rather prickly and defensive since Robin went into pseudo-heat and had only really touched the surface level during their mission the previous day in order to have their mental communications links.

“Why? Because you didn’t want to find out if I did?” Conner asked, his hits on the punching bag were getting harder than M’gann had ever seen it receive before.

“No.”

“Then why?”

“I didn’t think you’d want me looking for something like that.” Conner was mostly okay with her connecting their minds but purposely searching out if he had romantic or sexual feelings for another might be a silent line he didn’t want crossed. She didn’t want to go back to before when he felt uncomfortable with her in his head at all.

Before Conner had a chance to reply the chain holding the bag to the ceiling broke under the force it was under and the bag went flying through the wall behind it. Klaxons started blaring at the broken wall and it was seconds after that Wally was in the room.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I punched it,” Conner said, his voice showing the shock clearly radiating off him.

Wally gave an impressed whistle. “Well in that case we clearly need to do something about reinforcing it.” He paused, having noticed the plate of cookies, “mind if I have some.”

“Go ahead,” M’gann said, her attention more focused on Conner than Wally or the cookies. 

“Thanks,” Wally said, shoving one of the cookies in his mouth as Red Tornado, Kaldur, and Artemis all ran into the room.

“Are you all alright?” Kaldur asked.

“Yeah, just some minor structural damage,” Wally said, gesturing to the broken call. “Cause by Superboy super-punching the bag through the wall.”

“That’s kind of impressive,” Artemis said, “if also kind of terrifying.”

“Superboy, are you alright?” Red Tornado asked.

“Yeah,” Conner said with a shrug. “I’m going to go for a walk.”

“He seems to be doing that a lot as of late,” Red Tornado said after Conner had left the room.

“You don’t say,” Artemis replied, voice dry.

“It’s my fault.” It wasn’t fair for Conner to get the full blame for an action her words incited him into committed. “I was asking him about Robin.”

“Ah man, and here I thought he was finally over his massive reaction about it,” Wally said before starting on a third cookie.

“It wasn’t your fault M’gann,” Kaldur said.

“If you think so,” M’gann said despite not knowing if the reassurance was actually deserved.

Red Tornado went off to inform the League about the need for repairs and the rest of the team split off as well, apparently satisfied that the crisis had been dealt with. Wally taking the plate of cookies with him. M’gann ended up in the living room, an earth sitcom on the TV to try and distract her from worrying about Conner.

She felt Conner’s mind enter the room but decided to give him space should he need it. He could come to her if he wanted to talk.

“Hey,” Conner said, standing awkwardly at the edge of the couch. “Can I join you?”

“Sure,” M’gann said and he sat next to her.

The two of them were silent for a minute and M’gann fought her own instinct to break it. Maybe this was what Conner needed at that point in time – silent company.

“I didn’t end up having a cookie,” Conner said, breaking the silence and, M’gann hoped, indicating he wanted to talk.

“I think Wally’s eaten them by now, sorry.” She probably should have taken at least one for everyone else before she let him disappear with the plate but hadn’t thought about it at the time. Artemis would likely get one at least. “I can make another batch if you want though.”

“It’s fine,” Conner said. “And I’m sorry for how I reacted.”

“It was partially my fault,” M’gann said. She had been the one that brought up Robin despite knowing how obviously Conner was affected by him currently. As much as her intentions were innocent it was still an unfair move to open a conversation with the offering of food and then turning it onto a sensitive topic.

“It wasn’t,” Conner said. “I just don’t know how I feel about him – it – currently. I don’t like him like that I don’t think but I’m feeling something and it’s confusing.”

“Maybe you should talk to one of the others. We don’t have the secondary gender on Mars.” She wished she could help, or at least understand what it was he was going through.

“First I need to figure out how to explain it to them,” Conner said.

“I might be able to help with that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind me prying a bit.” She might not have been in the situation herself but hopefully the emotions carried by it would be ones that were familiar to her. She might even be able to defuddle them better because she didn’t have a designation of her own to muddle her interpretation, but that might be wishful thinking.

“I have nothing to hide from you,” he said and she took it as an invitation to go ahead.

She focused her attention onto his mind and pushed past the prickly outer layer to find it still the mind she remembered it to be. Something that she found easy to slip into and pleasant to be within. Whatever effect the pseudo-heat had on him, Conner was still himself.

It wasn’t hard to find where Conner’s emotions about what was happening rested. Not when he practically led her to them. A new storm in his already often tumultuous mind.

M’gann found herself understanding his difficulty in defining his emotions about the matter. The strongest emotion of them all was a protective instinct that seemed tied both by emotions and something M’gann could only place as a reaction to the pheromones of the pseudo-heat. There was nothing obviously romantic in the emotions that she could tell but there was a fondness that seemed above friendship. Something rooted in gratitude for Robin’s part in freeing Conner that had only solidified as they had worked together. A knowledge that Robin would look out for him and want to pay that back by ensuring his safety at a time where all hormonal and instinctual indicators were telling Conner that Robin needed protection. On top of that knot of familiarity and protective urges was the frustration Conner felt as a result of it. Frustration at himself for feeling that way. Frustration at Robin and the others for not acting like this was as dangerous of a situation as Conner’s instincts were telling him. Frustration that Batman just left Robin to effectively ride it out on his own and apparent lack of concern about the potential dangers. Frustration that after the pseudo-heat ended Robin would still be an omega and there would be those who would take that to mean something to take advantage of. Frustration at Tommy Terrors comment and guilt that Conner might himself be a threat even if not directly so. The guilt at how the sensory and emotional overload had made him snappish and on-edge. A fear that if this really was a weak level of pheromones and his reaction already so pronounced that he would become monstrous if exposed to the level it could eventually reach.

“I don’t think you would become a monster,” M’gann said as she exited Conner’s mind.

“How do you know?”

“You’re handing it better this morning than you did yesterday and Wally said Robin peaked then so if you’re reaction was going to get more extreme it would have then. This is just new to you.”

“You really think it’ll get better?” Conner asked and M’gann realised that under all the emotion and instinct Conner was exhausted. His attempts to fight and understand it all wearing him out.

“Yes. Both Wally and Kaldur said they felt similar when they first presented.”

“You were talking about it with the others?” Conner asked, a flash of defensiveness going through him.

“We were all worried about you.”

“I don’t need you to be.”

“And Robin doesn’t need you to worry over him but you still are.” There might not be an instinctual trigger for them to worry about Conner like him with Robin but the emotions caused by it were the same. “It’s what friends do.”

It’s not a perfect comparison M’gann knew but she believed it close enough.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Conner said, the tension bleeding out of him only to be replaced by the tiredness M’gann saw before. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Do you want to go to bed or watch TV?” It was getting late but not so much so that Conner would normally be thinking of sleeping yet. M’gann knew the last two days had been tiring for him though, and sleep often came more early after tiring days.

“Watching TV sounds nice,” Conner said and they settled down to do just that.

Conner’s arm wrapped loosely around M’gann’s shoulder after a couple minutes of quiet viewing and she shifted closer to him in response. He seemed calmer from her viewing of his mind. Even if M’gann couldn’t give him the answers to his agitation about Robin and the pseudo-heat her knowing what it was he felt about it exactly seemed to have helped. The confusion between them caused by it resolved allowing them to fall back into the new dynamic of their relationship and enjoy the conformation presence of each other.

Conner was right. Watching TV like this was nice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this one is shorter than the others. Had nothing else I really wanted to do though so *shrugs* here it is.

The trend of Conner being less agitated by the pheromones of the pseudo-heat continued. Although, according to Wally, the pheromones themselves were also going down as Robin’s pseudo-heat came to its inevitable close. By his guess, Robin would be back to normal sometime that day. M’gann was glad to know things would be going back to normal soon.

“Think he’s gotten over it now or are we going to have to worry about the roof coming down on us because he’s taken down a support-wall?” Artemis asked, nodding over to where Conner was sitting reading a book.

“We’re only down one wall in three days, we should be good,” Wally replied, before shoving another potato chip into his mouth.

“Two, remember the one on the mission?” Artemis asked.

“We needed to destroy that wall.” She knew they would assume she was just defending Conner because he was her boyfriend but it was true. Conner had destroyed the wall after Robin told them their escape route was on the other side of it. It was unfair for it to be a mark against him.

“If you say so,” Artemis said with a shrug. “I’m still going to worry about potential property damage until the heat is over.”

“Which, thankfully, will be soon,” Wally said. “Although speaking of our broken wall did you hear Batman’s coming this afternoon to assess the damage?”

“No.” She hadn’t heard anything about what was going to happen about the wall Conner had destroyed after Red Tornado said he was going to contact the League about it. M’gann still couldn’t shake the feeling she was partially to blame for its destruction considering she had been the reason Conner was put into the mood that caused him to punch that bit too hard.

“Yeah,” Wally said. “Wonder if he’ll stick around to train us.”

“Probably not,” Artemis said.

Wally ended up being right.

The assessment of the wall was so brief that M’gann wondered if it really needed to be done in-person. Batman and Red Tornado speaking just out of earshot about it as the group all tried to continue with their usual habits despite wanting to know when it was going to be fixed and what, if any, adjustments they would have to make until it was. Once completed they were ordered to get ready to train, Batman waiting for them, arms crossed.

M’gann felt both excited and terrified when told Batman would spar with each of them in assessment of their skills. Something the others were clearly feeling as well.

The logic given for why was sound. They had all trained against Black Canary and each other for long enough that they were starting to become potentially too familiar with the battle style they would face. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but it was good for them to face someone they didn’t already have a feel for in training every now and then. A practice of the quick assessment and adaption they had to do when fighting a more foreign foe. Batman was free, there, and more than capable of filling the role of a different enemy. With Robin unable to join them, and as such have the advantage of more familiarity of Batman’s style, it was the perfect opportunity for Batman to do it.

“Probably just wants to be around when Robin’s heat breaks,” Artemis said as they sat down on the edge of the room to watch Kaldur futilely attempt to get the supper hand on Batman.

Kaldur lost, to the surprise of nobody. Including Kaldur himself, who was grateful for the experience and advice Batman gave after.

Artemis was next, then Wally, then M’gann.

It was actually kind of fun. Even if Artemis was right in her comment that it was more ‘get your ass kicked by Batman’ than anything else and M’gann had a feeling there was an alteria motive of Batman learning their styles in a more than academic sense should he ever need that knowledge. It was a strangely bonding experience for them all as those later tried to figure out tricks from the earlier spars in the hopes that maybe they would get the upper-hand.

Conner went last and at first it seemed to be going the same as everyone else. Batman blocking and dodging away from Conner’s attacks, and, if it followed how it went with everyone else would soon be broken by Batman changing from to strike a quick and victorious series of blows himself.

“Thought this is where you would be.” They all turned to see Robin leaning in the doorway of the room, dressing in clothing suitable for training, and looking completely normally. Not at all looking like he had spent the last days in his room riding out a pseudo-heat. M’gann couldn’t help but reach out to his mind and found it the same as it had been a week ago, although filled with a mild surprise. “What happened to the wall?”

“Superboy showing off his superpowers,” Wally answered.

“Huh,” Robin replied but before any more conversation continued their attentions were drawn to the centre of the room where Conner, in either an assessment of an opening or desperate bid to win, dropped his guard to make a lunge at Batman’s face. None of them were surprised when that resulted in Batman overbalancing Conner and getting him pinned.

The thud of Conner’s body hitting the ground was loud and M’gann would have worried about him being hurt if she hadn’t seen him take worse hits on missions. It would likely be only his pride wounded, if anything at all.

“Ouch,” Artemis said, with a wince as Conner dragged himself back up to his feet. Nobody was that surprised when Batman’s chastisement to him was about underestimating his enemy and overestimating his advantage.

“Mind if I tag in?” Robin asked once Batman was finished on his assessment of Conner.

“Robin?” Conner asked, looking surprised to see the other. It was probably what had triggered his attempt at taking advantage in the spar – he had seen the moment Batman took to notice and acknowledge Robin’s presence and taken it to be an opening having not noticed Robin himself. M’gann supposed it was an innocent enough mistake.

“I hear you’ve  taken a disliking to walls while I was gone,” Robin said and Conner looked sheepish. The ridiculous of his behaviour even more clear to him now than it had been.

“How are you feeling?” Batman asked Robin before Conner had the chance to come up with some other reason for his increased violence than a frustrated, confused, reaction to Robin’s pseudo-heat. M’gann doubted he would ever want Robin to know about that. She had a feeling Robin would find out anyway, either through one of their other teammates or just the ability of his to _know things_ the same as his mentor did.

“Fine,” Robin said as he started to stretch, apparently assuming he would get his way and get to spar. “Just want to get back into it right now.”

“Of course,” Batman said but there seemed to be a ‘we’ll talk about it later’ in the statement. Which made sense, Robin said he could get suppressants after the pseudo-heat was over so he didn’t have to deal with it again, and there were likely other things that needed to be organised now he had presented official. Plus probably other things that would change now – M’gann knew humans thought differently about an unpresented child than they did someone whose designation was clear to them, no matter how young.

Even if things seemed to have returned to normal they would certainly be differences in Robin’s life because of the pseudo-heat and things that came with it.

Conner came to sit down next to the rest of them as Batman and Robin prepared to face off.

“You okay?” Wally asked as Conner sat down. The question as much about the painful landing he just had as well as Robin’s appearance.

“Yeah, I am.” There wasn’t anger in Conner’s voice like most of his other assurances to them over the week. Instead there was a relief to it. A trial he had to face over.

M’gann reached out to him with her powers just to be sure. He let her into his mind and towards the part of him that contained his emotions about Robin and what had happened. One similar to that she had seen the day before but without the harsh, defensive, outer-layer.

The emotions he felt were the same. The same fondness and gratitude as before. The want to protect Robin just as Conner knew Robin would protect him. Without the pheromones of the pseudo-heat telling his instincts that this was a moment Robin needed protecting it was easier to process. No frustration about his strange need to protect Robin from every possible threat and instead just Conner’s usual concern over his friends.

He really was okay. Or would be. Once he had the time to get over what happened. The fact Robin would likely go on and stay on suppressants meant something this dramatic wouldn’t happen again for a while and would give Conner the ability to hopefully get used to the pheromones of an omega.

M’gann retreated from his mind feeling glad. They had made it through with only a wall or two taken out as damage. Only things that could be fixed. And nothing standing in way of fixing them.


End file.
